A Week of Terrorism in Europe: 18 Dead, Hundreds Injured

Many of us already knew that terrorism had become a serious threat in Europe, but the previous week demonstrated how, in an matter of days, unrelated attacks can claim the lives of dozens of people, mostly in public places popular with tourists.

A grim record of terrorists attack started on Thursday, in Barcelona, Spain, when a white van deliberately drove into crowds in the popular La Rambla street, killing 13 and injuring over 100 people.

Just a day after the carnage in Spain, 2 people were killed and at least 8 injured in a stabbing spree in Turku, Finland, while one person was fatally wounded in a knife attack in Wuppertal, Germany.

Another stabbing attack in Siberian city of Surgut, Russia, left 7 people injured, two of whom are currently struggling for their lives.

Despite the grim statistics, terrorist attacks involving vans ramming into tourists and lone attackers stabbing people in the streets, are hardly something new in Europe.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in Barcelona, as well as Saturday stabbing in Surgut, but the organization could not have been directly involved in their planning, or at least, we can only assume so.

It can only lead us to the conclusion that knife and van attacks represent a new kind of terrorism: dangerous and extremely hard to prevent. The ideology of Jihadism and radical Islam has proven to be extremely successful in recruiting Muslims, as well as non-Muslims across Europe.

Another problem for the authorities and intelligence agencies was that the majority of those involved in recent attacks in Europe had no previous connections with ISIS, and other terrorists organizations, and that they adopted the ideology of radical Islam and acted alone.

Apart from presenting a serious security threat, terrorist attacks are also raising several important questions regarding current policies of the European Union and its member countries, and the European involvement in the Middle East.

Despite these facts, so far, the response of the EU and member countries has been weak, or non existent.

As the number of victims of terrorist attacks is continuing to grow, the prevailing impression is, we are facing so many questions, but the elites are not offering us any answers.

A Week of Terrorism

A van in attack in Barcelona, 14 dead, 1 in the police operation in Cambrils. At least 100 injured.